Art Materials (Encaustic- Back to Photography)

Hello Reader,

A friend of mine found an article written on encaustic and photography and it lead me to think:   their is a lot of interest out there on this subject, but it is often riddled with ill advised, incorrect, or misleading information. Unbeknownst my friend and many others, those aforementioned issues often lead to frustrations in the studio; or at least waisted art supplies. Never-the-less, I still like to read these articles in order to point out those issues, either to those who published the article in the first place, or at least to those interested in the process. If you trust your source, then the you can trust that the information is correct; but, if you are unsure about the info, it never hurts to get a second opinion.

I will also comment that some of the inconsistencies/misinformation may be that the articles are limited to how much information they can offer and thus edited down to fit the perimeters of the publisher. Whatever the case may be; I will reiterate, it is important to do your research and look at multiple resources. These types of articles, if anything, do peak the reader's interest in a subject less known. As for the specific article I am speaking of read it from Freestyle Photographic Supplies on Photography and Encastic and for more information on encaustic and photography read my posts on: Fusing Photographs and Inkjet (Supplement to Fusing Photographs). Later I would like to add some tips on types of cameras to use; because, that is what we all have to begin with.

Thank you for reading,
Jonathan Parks

P.S. What to look for in camera options- the basics.

SLR
Single Lens Reflex, I am talking about your classic options here; this is real film. First off, real film offers much that digital still hopes for; even those super high mega pixel digital SLR cameras. Second, you can always scan your film and retain some of the film like qualities, such as high speed film's grainy attributes. Third, pick a good camera to suite your needs; that doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money. The Olympus OM1 (pictured above) is ridiculously cheap these days, and in my opinion one of the great SLR's. It is lightweight, compact, huge range of lenses and accessories, along with dozens of other reasons. Of course like anything, there is something better (or different); like the Nikon F2 series (one pictured here). Considered a classic and even a collectors item to some, it still holds it ground on the market- so to speak. What makes it nice: interchangeable viewfinders for one. It is big and it is heavy, sometimes a good thing; think of binoculars, heavier binoculars offer more balance than small ones when your hands are shaky. But wait, their is even better; here are a few: a lieca, medium format, or rangefinder- many options if your willing to pay and to go the long yard.

Digital
Digital does offer convenience, you don't have film (rather a memory card), you don't have to scan negatives, you can edit you images fast because you can skip the steps of developing. But encaustic requires real paper and it is always exciting to go completely traditional- but if you are like me buy them both- you cant lose.